Miami Crispy is known by many as the best if not the most famous of the spicy dipped burger spots in Manchester. For those unaware spicy dipped burgers are all the craze in Manchester (and beyond!) and we’ll discuss more of that below. We’ll also discuss Miami’s legacy up north. And then we’ll dive into the Miami experience in Ilford London and the differences (and they do have differences) they have to Manchester.
Spicy Dipped Burgers
Spicy dipped burgers in Manchester is like the Philly cheesesteak in Philadelphia and Nashville chicken in Nashville (?). It has become such a core and central part of the street food scene, people are travelling from up and down the country to sample this. It is essentially a fried chicken fillet that is dipped in a spicy sauce and then that goes into a cheap burger bun. The whole burger will cost you around £5, so it’s a cheap dining experience. A delicious cheap eat that can be enjoyed by everyone, unless you have a very low spice tolerance of course. Because the burgers are SPICY! As of late (the last year or so) the Manchester spicy dipped burgers have moved beyond Manchester and now they can be found in Birmingham and London!
Miami Crispy Legacy
If Manchester is known for its spicy dipped burgers, Miami Crispy is the first name that will come in everyone’s mouths; it is the one that everyone will want to try at least once; it is the standard bearer (whether haters agree or not). Their original shop in Manchester has no seats and every time you order, you expect to wait at least half an hour. The popularity is mad and I feel they kind of put the spicy dipped burger on the map. Many others have popped up now and yeah, they may be shinier and better even, but Miami is the one who paved the way.
Miami Ilford London Experience
We ordered a single spicy dipped burger meal and some wings. You can also get double (but I remember getting that once and yeah it ain’t for the feint hearted). The single is a hefty burger in and of itself. We’ll talk about the most important thing first and then we’ll talk about the other issues and differences: and that is taste. How did it taste? Right away the first bite reminded me why I love this type of burger. Trust me, once you’ve tried a spicy dipped burger, you ain’t looking at chicken burgers the same again. It is life changing especially if you love spice. And being a southerner, you don’t get to experience this much if at all unless you visit Manchester frequently. So, each and every bite reminded me of that and even though the spice was making me snuffle, it was most definitely worthwhile. I loved it. My wife mentioned that she could taste an almost hint of mustard oil taste in the burger somewhere. I might’ve missed that due to the wonderful experience I was busy having. The chips were good with their light seasoning, but the wings were a big no no unfortunately. Way too much sauce and it led to them being a bit too soggy.
Let’s talk about the overall experience and some of the differences of this branch. First of all, the queues and hype is the same as the one in Manchester. The first time we tried to visit this place, we turned up at 10.30 pm one night and the queue was outside the shop round the corner. We heard some who were there waiting for 2 hours. So we turned straight back around as we were not waiting that long for a burger. Sorry. Came back another day but this was early evening at around 5:50 pm. There were people there, but the queue definitely wasn’t as mad. At least we could queue up inside. Waited around 10 minutes to order and then another 20 minutes before the food came out. If it was any other spot, I probably wouldn’t be happy waiting that long for such a meal, but for Miami, it’s worth it. Unlike the Manchester branch, they have seating here with about 10 tables able to seat about 20 people, which is great for a chicken spot. Also, a noteworthy difference is that they do accept cards (if you’re not accepting cards in 2024, you’re doing something wrong).
The pricing was a little higher than Manchester, but then you expect to pay London tax and relatively speaking it wasn’t too bad actually. The single burger meal is £7.70, the double is £11.70 with 20p for cheese. And 9 wings set you back £7.50. I also like that they do not serve any genocidal drinks – always a positive.
Getting there
Nearest station: Gants Hill
Nearest mosque: Redbridge Islamic Centre
Parking: Free parking right outside
Google Maps link
